Q&A: Tedford speaks about first few weeks on the job

FRESNO, Calif. – On Tuesday evening, Jeff Tedford made his first public appearance as the acting head football coach of the Fresno State football team at the Dog House Grill for the 940 AM ESPN Coach's Show.

After greeting fans in attendance and taking part in the station's final weekly coach's show of the season, with the voice of the Bulldogs, Paul Loeffler, Tedford participated in a Q&A with the Fresno media about his time in town since his introductory press conference on Nov. 11 and what's ahead for the program with him at the helm.

GoBulldogs.com breaks down what Tedford had to say:

Q: What went into the decision process to move on from the 2016 coaching staff?

A: I think it's important for the players to start from scratch. To have a new message and not a conflicting message from last year to this year. It's never an easy thing to do, it was a very difficult day. A lot of those guys were my friends, some of them had played for me, some of them had coached for me, and so it was very difficult to do. But we have a job to do here and I felt it was really important to start over with the message.

Q: When do you expect to announce new coaches?

A: That could be as early as Monday (Dec. 5). There is a 14-day period that you have to keep the job open so we will do that. We will accept all applications, look through them, and make decisions from there. I anticipate there will be a portion of the staff hired by Monday.

Q: Were there a few [from the 2016 staff] you considered to keep on staff?

A: It was hard. I contemplated it a lot. But after thinking about the experiences and what's best for this program and what's best for the players, I felt like it was important to start fresh. It's not any indictment on what they've done. I really appreciate what they did here, they're good people and gave it their all here and I appreciate their contributions. But I thought for the future it was best to move on.

Q: What were your initial thoughts after being in attendance to watch the final two home games?

A: It was disappointing. Mainly just looking at a stadium that was empty was very disappointing. Because that's not my memory of that place, of that stadium. And so it was concerning for sure. There's a lot of work to be done because we all know what that place should be like, and we are going to work our hardest to make sure we get the pride and tradition back in Bulldog Stadium.

Q: What has the reception been like since you arrived and been around town?

A: I haven't been around town much, I've been in my office quite a bit. But it's been awesome, when I have been. Like tonight, it's great to see people. I am amazed at how many people that can remember 1981 and 1982, and specific plays that went on. That's one thing that I think is special about the Valley, is the people here. The relationships here, we have a lot of friends here, and when I have been out and around people, it feels like home. It is home.

Q: Pat Hill and Jim Sweeney referred to this place as a Sleeping Giant, do you feel like that is still the case?

A: Yes. I think the sleeping giant piece had really come alive for a while. People saw what the potential is here. I think the people in town know what a special place this is, and it has slipped over the last couple years and that's unfortunate, but I know what the fans are about, I know the passion that this community has, and we will bring the same passion with our efforts to make sure we make people proud here.

Q: Its been said that while you were at Cal you've hit the jackpot with junior college transfers, are you hopeful that is the case with this program as well?

A: We will definitely do some JC recruiting. No doubt about that. We already have and we will continue to, but it is a process. I don't think I can really make a determination on the totality of it all until I know our players personally. Get to know them individually, and that's what I'll do over the next 3-4 days, is meet with each and every player and get to know who they are and what they're about.

Q: How do you prioritize recruiting? Where do you start?

A: The most important thing are the early signees. Because we are really going to have one week to recruit because it goes dead December 12. And we won't have a staff until that week. We will try and have a big weekend that weekend and then it goes dead from there … early signing date is in mid-December, so the focus right now is really on JC recruiting and mid-year recruits, obviously, or else we just run out of time with it. We are right up against it and there's been some challenges for sure, given the 14-day period and all that, but we'll be fine. We're working hard at it, and we'll get the staff going, and we'll hit the ground running when they get here.

Q: We understand you met with the team today, how do you introduce yourself to a team that does not know you?

A: I had a little time with them when I came for my press conference (on Nov. 11). I talked to them for about five minutes, but today was a little bit more personal, it was little bit more about us. The first time talking to them was more about this is your team, these are your coaches, stay behind them, stay strong, finish strong, and today it was more about what we are going to expect, it was not really deep into it, but like I told them, 2017 starts right now with how we finish 2016. To make sure we are doing all the little things that we need to do to create good habits. Making sure we finish strong academically. We need to turn the page, and trust is a thing that is a process and we are going to work on that hard and that starts with our meetings.

Q: Can you describe what this rebuilding task is like and what you're steeping into?

A: It's a big job. We can't bury our heads, it was a rough season. I think that there is some ability here, so the first thing is to understand who we are … go recruit, hire a quality staff, and build a strong foundation. Will it happen overnight? I know when I went to Cal, they were 1-10 and we went 7-5 the next year and beat Michigan State at their place. There's a lot of work to be done, so I don't want to act like there's not, because there is, but it can be done. There is no question about it. And so I am really anxious to get to work, and I cannot wait to get to the players and get the coaching staff in here and start the foundation that we need to be successful. It is a process and a lot of hard work, but I'm fired up for it and can't wait to get going.

Q: How important is it to you to keep traditions and alumni involved?

A: The alumni thing is absolutely critical. I really believe in this place and that is what this place has been built on. I'm really fortunate to go back a long way. There's a lot of ex-players I've played with, there's a lot of ex-players I've coached here, and the recent players – I want them to all know that this is their home, this is their house, they're apart of this. Coach Sweeney used to always preach that there are stadium builders, which was the 1977 team, and there are stadium fillers, and that was our team in 1981 and 1982, since then they've had so much success. There's a long tradition, a lot of people who are very proud of this place and I want them to know that they are welcome back here because they are a big part of this.

"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – Tickets for the 2017 Fresno State football season are now on sale at GoBulldogs.com or by calling 559-278-3647. 940 AM ESPN Radio and 1600 AM ESPN Deportes is the official home of the Fresno State Bulldogs.

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Q&A: Tedford speaks about first few weeks on the job

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